Climber for poles of hard material



juy 359i?? w35. c. CASTELLI ZQQQLM CLIMB'ER MFOR POLES OF HARD MATERIAL Filed April 20, 1934 M' www Patented July 56, 1935 Unirse ,STATES CLMBER FOR POLES F HARD MATERIAL Cesare Castelli, Genoa, Italy Application April 20, 1934, Serial No. 721,634 'In Italy April 26, 1933 8 Claims.

The present inventionrhas for its object improvements in the climbers for poles of metal or cement, i. e. for poles oi material different from the wood whereof they,7 were initially made; in

other words, the invention relates to an improved device to be applied to the shoe oi the person who has to climb up poles of metal or cement (for instance ci' the electrical lines).

Formerly the poles were made of wood and 10 therefore the climbers could be formed with inward projections or teeth on their arms so that the latter might sticl to the pole to a sumcient extent by means of said teeth, and enable the operator to stop at the desired height. Apart from the consideration that the use oi such climbers provided with arms formed with projections or teeth causes more or less a deterioration in the external surface of the said poles and sets up thereon notches that facilitate the penetration of the exterior dampness into the wood, it is a matter of fact that such climbers are unsuitable for climbing up poles made of material that does not permit penetration (and the consequent holding action) of the pins or teeth. rlhis applies, particularly, for instance, to tubular metallic poles and cement poles. The use of climbers of the types mentioned above in connection with the said poles, presents a serious danger for the operator, inasmuch as there isa possibility for the latter ,to slip downward.

With a view to obviating such inconveniences, climbers (have, already been designed which, in place of the bent arm destined to encircle the pole, present a small metallic column at the lower end of which ts the foot of the operator, While at its upper end is fastened a leather belt or ring that is set around the pole before starting climbing up same. yThe use of such climbers presents `however various inconveniences the most serious ci which are the following: they prevent a complete freedom of movement of the feet and legs of the operator, on account of the fact that said feet and legs are substantially tied by a belt to the pole; they prevent passing obstructions Von the pole, such as, for instance, pin crowns,

brackets, etc.

Formerly the poles were of moderate height and therefore presented transversal dimensions not very diiierent at the bottom and at the top.

With the present types oi very tall cement or metal poles, which present at the base dimensions which are considerably greater than those of the top, therefore there is the inconvenience that the climbers, arranged to embrace the pole at its base,

are disposed greatly inclined when fastened to the the opposite suriacecf the pole, the adherence between the climbers and the Apole being solely dependent on the' actionV of said mechanical means. This form oi climber, in addition to bei ing oi complicated structure, presents a faulty and insufficient security due to the risk of the operators slipping downwards along the pole should the aforesaid mechanical means fail to function properly.

The climbs-1' in accordance with the present v invention obviates all these inconveniences thanks to the improvement consisting firstly in that a strong adherence is set up between the climber arm and the pole and between the outer surface of the foot receiving means and the pole itself, not by means of the aforesaid teeth, but by providing suitable coverings or appliances oi material having arhigh irictional coefficient, on said parts. Such material may consist, of a composition, suitable for the purpose, as, for instance, rubber. t

In one embodiment of the invention'the climber arm presents an adherent rubber tubular covering and the part oi the rclimber to which the foot is yfastened present-sa rubber piece on the side that haste Vcome in contact with the pole.' The inner section or" the covering will preferably be noncircularfand also the arm of the climber willhave a corresponding transversal section in order to vprevent the rubber from rotating relatively to the climber arm.v

Both the tubular covering and the rubber block can be replaced when unsuitable for the purpose, due to deterioration. l, Further, the invention is carried out by giving the arm designed to embracey the pole and which ends, at the bottom, at the attachment for the foot, a shape which approaches that oi.v a portion oi helix, i. e. a shape whereby the free end Vof said arm will be placed higher than the end oi said arm to which the attachment for the foot of. the operator is applied, As such attachment is, necessarily, locatedfloutsidethe. pole, the weight of the person will act on the climber as .on a lever, thus compelling Vthe climber to heavily press against the pole both in proximity to the foot attachment and along the arm encircling the pole.

It is obvious that the invention can be applied to any type of arm climber whether this arm is fixed or adjustable or replaceable, with regard to the part that has to be connected to the foot of the operator.

When the pole is not of considerable height, the sizes of its top and bottom section are not so diierent as to necessitate the use of an adjustable arm as the arm will act effectively without variation of its position relatively to the part where the foot is to be connected.

But when the metal or cement poles are of considerable height, the dimensions of the bottom section are so diierent from the dimensions of the top sections that a climber with non-adjustable arm is less effective because the attachment for the foot, when the climber engages with the top part of the pole, will assume a position greatly inclined relatively to the horizontal.

In this case, the climber according to the present invention embodies a further improvement on account oi the fact that, for poles of. considerable height, it is provided with means that provides for variation in the position of the underfoot relatively to the arm by displacing the attachment of the shoe relatively to the arm of the climber, thus enabling the workman to easily use the climber even when the poles are greatly tapered, said use being, however, always based on the lever operation mentioned above.

Thus; as the operator climbing up the pole must secure the grapplers to portions thereof. de-

creasing in section, by adjusting the position of the arm to the attachment for the foot he will be permitted to adapt the proportions of the grapplers to those of the portion of pole where he has to stop, thus rendering the use of these grapplers safe. The invention will be more clearly understood from the following description and accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is an elevation showing the use of the invention for ascending a pole;

Fig. 2 is a perspective View of one form of the invention with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a detailed View; Figs. 4 and 5 are elevations at right angles of another form of the device;

Figs. 6 and '7 are plan and side views, respectively of certain modifications, and

Figs. 8 and 9 are front and side views of the device as used in holding a ladder to a pole.

VThe climber according to the invention consists substantially of an attachment I for the foot, of a block 20 made of material possessing a high friction coefficient and of an arm 22 covered with a material which alsofpo'ssesses a high friction coefficient, the free end 2| of the arm being when the device is in use higher than its attachment I0 to the climber I, the arm being substantially formed according to a helical line. The load P (weight of the person) applied to the attachment of the foot, Fig. 1, causes the block 20 to bear and press against the pole 23 in the direction of the arrow F.y This gives the climber the tendency to rotate in the direction of the arrow R and causes the arm 22 to press against the pole 23 in the direction of the arrow F; the forces of friction that are caused by the forces in the direction of F and FV prevent the climber from slipping downwards.

Referring particularly to Fig. 2, I is the part of the grapplers that is connected to the foot of the operator by means of the belt 4 and the clasp 3. The arm 2I, with squared transverse section or in general with polygonal section, is connected to the part I and covered with a tubular element 22 of material such as rubber possessing a high frictional coefficient. On the side of the part I destined to face the pole, is provided a swallow-tailed seat I9 wherein a block 2U of rubber or the like is applied and secured.

Fig. 3 shows on enlarged scale a further shape that can be given to the arm and the covering. In said gure showing the end of the arm, the latter is indicated by 2l' and has the conformation of a channel with swallow-tailed transverse section, inside which is located and rigidly secured the tail 22 of ar longitudinal covering 22 of material with high frictional coefficient (for instance, rubber).

InV both cases, the grapplers will adhere to the pole thanks to the high frictional coeflicient offered by the covering 22 or 22 of the arm 2I (or of the arm 2V) and the block 20 respectively. When the grapplers arenot in engagement with the pole, the foot and leg of the operator will be entirely free to accomplish any movements and the adherence will be as perfectand perhaps even more perfect-as it could be with the arm and cramp grapplers at present used for wood poles.

Referring particularly to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5, wherein the reference numbers are the same as those adopted in connection with the preceding gures, it will be noted that the under-foot I is formed at the bottom with a swallow-tailed guide 5 along which slide in the direction of the arrows 6 and 1, a sliding member 8 which presents the opening 9 wherein the end I9 of the arm II can be introduced; a iixing screw I 2 prevents it from corning out. The sliding member 8 is provided with a pin I3 whereupon is mounted the lever i4 biased by a spring I5 in the direction of the arrow I6, i. e. in such a Vdirection that its tooth I'I may engage with one of the notches I8 on the lower edge of the swallow-tailed guide 5.

If the toothv I1 is disengaged from the notches f I8 by means of the lever I4, the under-foot I can be slid in the direction, for instance, of the arrow 'l shifting it to the position indicated by dotted lines and adapting the grapplers to a pole section of lesser dimensions. Such adaptation can be accomplished manually as well as with the other foot of the person who has already effected a partial ascent along the pole this being done by pressing on the lever I4 with either the hand or the foot and thus releasing the tooth I1 from a notch and pushing the lever and member together to the desired position.

Such adjustment also serves to prevent the under-foot I from inclining too much relatively to the yhorizontal (as indicated at the top of Fig. l) when the climber is fastened to the pole at a point of lesser transverse sections. In the case illustrated in Figs. 2, 4 and 5, the foot has such a position as not to be directed towards the pole.

On the contrary, ln the case of the device illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7 the foot (indicated by dotted lines at 23), is directed towards the axis of the pole; in this embodiment the arm II is adjustable according to the arrows 6 and 'I' and the under-foot i of the climber is provided with a fixed rubber block 20 held in position by the screw I2', and a block adjustable in position 20" which is xed in position by the screw I2" engaging with one of the threaded holes 24.

combination of an under-foot; a vpressure block 'In Fig.Y 7 there arealsol indicated'the arrows P,-F',. Rand Ff', used in Fig. 171. i

Thoughfor: descriptive reasons the present `in- .ventionhas been based on the foregoing specification and the accompanying drawing,p yet many modifications can be made inthe embodiment of `:the invention; thus, forinstance, the motion oi the direction of the arrow 1 of the under-foot relatively to the arm I I or vice versa (Figs. 4 and 5) depending upon the person climbing up, or descending down, the pole, can be made automatically or by a lever; the arm H may be constructed integral with the sliding member 8. The climber 22-2I with its block 29 can also nd many other utilizations, such as, for instance (Figs. 8 and 9) for applying a l-adder 5 to a pole 23 at any point of its length, the ladder being secured, at the bottom, against the pole by a retaining means 26; etc. etc. All these modifications and utilizations and others are to be consideredias part of the invention as set forth in the following claims.

Having now particularly described andascertained the nature of the present invention and in what manner the same is to be performed, what is claimed is:-

l. In climbers for hard material poles, the combination of an under-foot, a pressure block composed oi a material of high frictional coefficient in relative proximity to the under-foot and disposed on that part of the under-foot which will contact with said pole, a pole embracing arm of helical shape rising from the under-foot and contacting the pole in a spiral, said underfoot, block and arm forming a lever-unit supporting by said under-foot the weight of the person, and pressing on the pole by rotation around the block, coverings on the block and on the arm, said coverings being of material having a high frictional coeicient causing the climber to adhere to the pole and prevent it fromslipping downwards.

2. In climbers for hard material poles, the combination of an under-foot, a pressure block composed of a material of high frictional coefncient in relative proximity to the under-foot and disposed on that part of the under-foot which will contact with the pole, a pole embracingV arm of helical shape rising from the under-foot and contacting the pole in a spiral having one end of said arm connected to the under-foot said end being lower than the free end of lsaid arm, said under-foot, block and arm forming a leverunit supporting by the under-foot the weight of the person, and pressing on said pole by rotation around the block, coverings on said block and on said arm, said coverings being of material having a high frictional coeicient in order to cause the climbers to adhere tosaid pole and prevent same from slipping downwards.

3. In climbers for hard material poles, the combination of an under-foot, a pressure block composed of a material of high frictional coefficient in relative proximity to the under-foot, a pole embracing arm with non-circular transverse section, the under-foot, the block and the arm forming a lever-unit supporting the weight of the person and pressing on saidfpole by rotation around said block a tubular covering on said arm of high frictional coefficient in order to aid in preventing the covering from rotating relatively to the arm and to cause the climbers to adhere to said pole and to prevent same from slipping downwards.

4. In climbers for hard material poles, the

composed of a material of high `frictional coefcient in relative proximity to the under-foot,

Aa channel shaped pole embracing arm the channel .transverse sectionnf whichhas its opening 1 Ytowards the interior of said arm, said underfoot, "said block and said arm forming a leverunit supportingl the weight of 'the person; and pressing on the pole by rotation around the block a strip of material of high frictional coefviicient inserted and retained in the hollow of said channel shaped arm, to aid in preventing the covering from going out relatively to the arm and to cause the climbers to adhere to said pole' and to prevent same from slipping downwards.

5. In climbers for hard material poles, the combination of an under-foot, a pressure block composed of a material of high frictional coefficient in relative proximity to said under-foot and disposed on that part of the under-foot which will contact with the pole, a pole embracing arm of helical shape rising from the under-foot and contacting the pole in a spiral rigidly co-nnected to said under-foot, said underfoot, block and arm forming a lever-unit supporting by said under-foot the weight of the person, and pressing on the pole by rotation around said block, of coverings on said block and on said arm, said coverings being of material havingv a high frictional coeincient to aid in causing the climbers to adhere to said pole and prevent same from slipping downwards.

6. In climbers for hard material poles, the combination of an under-foot, a pressure block composed of a material of high frictional coefficient in relative proximity to the under-foot and disposed on that part of said under-foot which will contact with said pole, a pole embracing arm of helical shape rising from the under-foot and contacting the pole ina spiral, means slidably and detachably connecting said arm to said under-foot, said under-foot, block and arm forming a lever-unit supporting by the under-foot the weight of the person, and pressing on said pole by rotation around said block, coverings. on said block and on said arm, said coverings being of material having a high frictional coeiiicient in order to cause the climbers to adhereA to said pole and prevent same from slipping downwards.

'7. In climbers for hard material poles, vthe combination of an under-foot, a pressure block composed of a material of high frictional coeflicient in relative proximity to said under-foot and disposed on the part of said under-foot which will contact with said pole, a supporting member, a pole embracing arm connected to saidv supporting member, of helical shape rising from the under-foot and contacting the pole in a spiral separate from said under-foot, of slidable means on said supporting member and on said underfoot, retaining means for said supporting means on said under-foot, said under-foot, block and arm forming a lever-unit supporting by said under-foot the weight of the person, and pressing on said pole by rotation around said block, coverings on said block and on said arm, said coverings being of material having a high frictional coeiiicient to aid in causing the climbers to adhere to the pole and prevent same from slipping downwards. Y

8. In climbersA for hard material poles, combination of an under-foot, a pressure block composedo'f a material of high frictional coeflicient in relative proximity to said under-foot and disposed on that part of said under-foot which f 70 the v will contact with the poles, a pole embracing arm of helical shape rising from the under-foot and contacting the pole in a spiral, said under-foot, block and armforming a lever-unit supporting by said under-foot the Weight of the person, and

Apressing on the pole by rotation around said block, of coverings on said block and on said arm, said coverings being of material having high frictional 'ceiicient to aid in causing the climbers to adhere to the pole and prevent same from slipping downwards, means for regulating the reciprocal position of the under-foot and of the arm in order to maintain the under-foot in substantially horizontal position, said mea-ns comprising a lever pivotally attached to the arm.

CESARE CASTELLI. 

